Identification fender for vehicles



L. P. BRADDY.

IDENTIFICATION FENDER FOR VEHICLES.

a APPLICATION FILED JAN. 4, I922- 15,423,905 Patented July 25, 1922.

v N 2 N/J\\ Y. I nu 3 m0 E I I NM M x I E m E P 0 1| W B "H .u Y .I v P E A Q N w I Y W I i Q @m I v a m w I mV/ A e W UNITED STATES LEWIS P. BRADDY,"OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

IlDENTIFICATION FENDER FOR VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented July 25, 1922.

Application filed January 4,1922. Serial No. 526,980.

To all to 710m it may concern Be it known that I, LEWIS P. BRADDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new .and useful improvements in Identification Fenders for Vehicles, of which thetfollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to identification means for use with vehicle tenders or bumpers, the purpose of whichis to release some sort of an identification device when the vehicle meets with a collision. g

In a prior application Serial No. 373,948 filed by me April 14th, 1920, I show and describe a tender or bumper for vehicles combined with which is a holder to contain an identification plate or card. The release of the plate or card is e'fiiected by means actuated by the movement of the bumper under the force of an impact. The present invention has for its object to simplify and improvethe construction and operation of :1 device of the character above mentioned.

Chief among these improvements may be mentioned the capability of the present device to permitthe holder for the identifica tion plate to be sealed by the proper o'flicials. This seal is so arranged as to be broken when the bumper or fender strikes an obstruction whereby to release the holder and allow the identification plate to fall to the ground. It is intended that new plates and seals shall be furnished onlyby the proper ofiicials as a means of getting information concerning collisions. A further improvement efi'ected is the employment of a con ventional type of" yielding bumper which, by its movement under .torce of impact, will act directly to release the holder for the identification plate, thereby dispensing with special actuating means, such as bell cranks,

etc, employed in prior devices. A further improvement resides in the provision of a visible signal which is normally inoperative and put in operation simultaneously with the release of the identification plate so that the attention of others will be directed to the condition of the identification plate holder.

One form which my invention may assume is exemplified in the following description and illustrated in. the accompanying drawiugs, in which-- i Fig. 1 shows a plan view of the front portion of a vehicle fitted with a bumper and Fig. 2 shows a front view of the bumper and holder for the identification device.

ig. 3 shows a vertical central sectional view of the device shown ,in,F-ig. 1.

Fig. 4; is a sectional view taken on the line of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 shows a detail sectional view aloi'ig one of the attaching brackets for the bumper bar.

Referring in detail to the accompanying drawings I show a bumper bar 10 of conventional form carried by attaching brackets 11, the latter being connected to frame bars 12 oi a vehicle. The bumper bar is movably mounted in slotted ends 12:; ot the brackets 11 and is held outwardly by cushioning springs l t. A rigidcross bar 15 connects opposite brackets together at the rear of the bumper bar. The bumper bar itself carries abox-like holder 16, the bottom wall 17 01 which is hinged'at 18 and has an upwardly extending wing 19 disposed within the box. In the front of the box is arranged an identificationplate 20 fitted in grooves in the top and bottom. walls. When the bottomwall is closed a projection 21 on the upstanding wingdQ extends through an opening in the rear wall of the box and is held in place by means of a seal'22. In

ithis position the identification plate 20 will be securely held between the top and bottom walls. In line with the projection 21 and fixed upon the cross bar 15v is a striker or lug 23 to co-operate with the projection 21. tor the purpose o'l breaking the seal 29, and releasing the bottom wall of the holder.

7 In operation, when the bumper strikes an obstruction, as in the case of a collision, it is moved rearwardly against the springs 14:, causing the lug 23 to strike the projection 21 and break theseal. The bottom wall is then free to drop downwardly, thus releaw ing-the identification plate 20. The position ot the upstanding wing 19 will be such as to insure that the identification plate falls outside the box. If desired, the bottom wall may be weighted to insure its dropping downwardly, or a spring 24 may be employedto assist in the downward movement of the bottom wall. r

At one side of the box-like holder is a thick wall 25 formed with a pocket or cavity to receive a flash light 26. Fitted Within the il -l i'illl a spring-pressed plunger 27 to actuate the switch oi the liaslrlight. This p unger is normally held extended slightly v thin the box-like holder and fixed upon the upstanding wing 19 is a beveled or inclined lug 25% to cooperate with the outstand 1 ug plunger. Thereby, when the holder is rehaased and the bottom wall 'falls downw rdly, the lug 28 will come into contact 1th the plunger 27 shoving the latter in- ).rdly so as to actuate the switch of the flash-light. The wall 25 is provided with a small lens or lnills-eye 29 at its front through which the light from the lash-light shines so that the attention ol others will be called to the condition oi the identification plate holder.

'l.he plate 20 is a necessary part of the enclosing casing and contains the name oi the owner, the number oi the car and other data on its "face in full view at all times. its absence will thus be conspicuous and serve to call the attention 0'! others to the tact of a collision. In order to get a new plate and seal a driver must report to the proper ollicials.

Various changes in the construction and arrangement of the several parts herein slunvi'i and described may be employed without departing from the spirit 01? this invention as disclosed in the appended claims. For instance, any type ()li yielding bumper may be used and the holder tor the identification plate may be positiorredv on the stationary member l5 and the striker or lug 23 may be arranged upon the bumper bar.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. in a vehicle, in combination with a bumper bar yield ingly mounted with respect to the lrame oi the vehicle, oi a holder including a movable retaining device for an identification plate mounted on said bumper bar, means tor sealing said movable retaining device in position, and a releasing member rigidly connected with the trame ol the vel'iicle and adapted to co-operate with the retaining device whereby movement of the bumper bar under the force of impact will bring them into engagement to break the seal and release the identification plate.

3. ln a vehicle, in combination with. a bun'lper bar v'ieldingly mounted with respect to the trame oi the vehicle, of an identification plate holder lined. to said bumper bar, a movable retaining member pivotally connected to said holder and adapted to support the idemtitication plate Within the holder under normal conditions, and a releasing member rigidly connected to the frame of the vehicle and adapted to engage said movable retaining member when movement is imparted to said bumper bar by force of impact, said engagement causing movement of said retaining member and release or the identification plate.

3. In a vehicle, in combination with a bumper bar yieldingly held with respect to the frame of the vehicle, of an identification plate holder fixed to said bumper bar, a mo able retaining member pivotally connected to said holder and adapted to cooperate therewith in supporting an identification plate under normal conditions, means For sealing said retaining member in'position, a cross-bar fixed to the frame of the vehicle at the rear of the bumper, and a releasing member fixed on said cross bar and adapted to engage said movable retaining member when movement is imparted to the bumper by force of impact, the engagement causing breakage of the seal and release of the identification plate.

4?. In combination with a bi'imper yieldingly mounted upon the "frame of a vehicle, a holder for an identification plate comprising a box-like structure having a movable wall, an identificathm plate releasably held. in position by said movable wall, means for retaining the movable wall in closed position and a striker rigidly connected to the vehicle and adapted to be brought into engagel'nent with the movable wall by the yielding movement of the bumper to release the movable wall and discharge said plate.

5. The combination with a bumper yieldingly mounted upon the frame o'l a vehicle of a holder for an identification plate com prising a box-like structure having a hinged bottom wall, an identification plate 'lornr ing the tl ront wall of the box and releasably held in. place by the hinged bottom wall, means to retain the hinged bottom wall in closed position, and a striker rigidly connected to the vehicle and engageable with the retaii'iing means to release the hinged wall and allow the identification plate to be discharged.

(3. In combination with a bumper bar yieldingly mounted with res fiect to the frame or" a vehicle. a stationary element at the rear of the bumper bar, a box-like holder mounted on the bumper bar. said holder including a hinged bottom wall and an identification plate releasably fitted in the Front of the box and constituting the trout wall thereo'l, n'icans tor retaining the bottom wall in closed position and a lug on the stationary element to co-operate with the retaining means for the purpose of releasing the letter when the bumper is moved rearwardly under force of impact.

LElVIS P. BRADDY. 

